• Home
• WHITE
• GREY
• BLUE
• GREEN

News

MLF Nite set for April 14th at Canlan

Date Posted: 2/26/2012

Don't Miss Rampage's 3rd Annual Fundraiser!
Mario Lemieux Foundation Nite, Saturday April 14th @ Canlan Ice Sports, Romeoville

  Here's a sample of just some of our raffle items: 

Click thumbnails to download:

Why does Rampage do this?

Three years ago a teammate was diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease, the same diagnosis Mario Lemieux beat in 1993. Because of the connection between the two, Rampage decided to support our sister skater by organizing a fundraiser for Mario's Foundation. We had previously raised money for a young leukemia patient by selling an opportunity for skaters to "pack a bench" and play hockey, but decided to kick "MLF Nite" up a notch by adding raffle baskets, silent auction items, and inviting the Old Duffers to an exhibition game.

The May 1st 2010 event at the International Ice Centre in Romeoville drew 40 skaters (some played two games) and approximately 60 spectators. The event raised $2400 for the Mario Lemieux Foundation which supports cancer and neonatal research as well as Austin's Playroom Project, an initiative that creates sibling playrooms in medical facilities.  Our thanks to the Duffers and all the spectators for making the evening so successful.  See many more pictures and read Greg Lopatka's article by clicking HERE.

The 2011 event was another huge success, raising $7000!  We will top previous years with our 2012 goal of $10,000.  Once again, Rampage will play the Duffers in a charity fundraiser game after a family fun skate and we invite you to join us!

What's in it for me?

It's a fun night!  Not only do we have a free family skate, we also enter our players and coaches into a lottery to play in an exhibition game against the Old Duffers.  The game is a long-standing rivalry (3 years!) where mayhem abounds and refs are paid off.  The women of Rampage also put on one of the best chuck-a-puck, BBQs, raffle and silent auctions ever.  Last year we had a 52" HDTV, a pair of $500 MLX skates, and drawings for free sessions of Rocky Hockey 3on3 in addition to 42 other raffles, valued at over $5000.  This year we will have all that and MORE.  Come out to Canlan Saturday April 14th, have some fun, donate a few bucks to a good cause, take a chance on winning something fabulous, and -- meet the wonderful ladies of Rampage Hockey!  

Mario Lemieux Foundation History

     The Mario Lemieux Foundation is dedicated to raising funds for cancer research as well as Austin's Playroom Project, an initiative that creates sibling playrooms in medical facilities. The Mario Lemieux Foundation was created in 1993 by hockey legend Mario Lemieux. In that year, Mario was enjoying the greatest season of his brilliant career and on pace to establish a new NHL scoring record. Then he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.

     After a successful battle with Hodgkin's, Mario is now 18 years cancer free and his experience led him to focus on ways to assist those not so fortunate. He devotes much of his time to the Foundation raising funds to help reach the ultimate goal: a cure for cancer.

     Among the donations made by the Foundation was a $5 million gift to UPMC Health System to establish the Mario Lemieux Centers for Patient Care and Research in 2001. In 2002, the Lemieux Foundation established an Endowed Chair in Pediatric Oncology Research at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh with a $1 million gift. The MLF's latest donation was a $3 million gift to the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute in 2010 to create the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers at the Hillman Cancer Center.

     Nathalie Lemieux expanded the Foundation's scope in 2000 when she created Austin's Playroom Project following Nathalie and Mario's personal experience while caring for their profoundly premature infant son at Magee-Women's Hospital. As they were tending to young Austin, there was no place to provide a comfortable calming environment and engage his sisters Lauren and Stephanie. It was then that Nathalie devised this idea to someday raise funds for playrooms at area hospitals. In 12 years, 25 Austin's Playrooms have opened throughout western Pennsylvania with an additional six playrooms to be completed before the end of 2011, including our first military playroom at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD.

     In 2005, the Lemieux Family Center was established at the Children's Home of Pittsburgh with a $2 million gift - an initiative that supports and nurtures families during the difficult process of transitioning from hospital care to life back at home.

     A gift of $1.6 million to The Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC established the Mario Lemieux Foundation Endowment for Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Research. The gift also provided funding for two new playrooms: an Austin's Playroom on the sixth floor for in-patients and The Lemieux Sibling Center in the main lobby which is dedicated to patient siblings.

     The Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational presented by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and its attendant events serve as the largest fundraising vehicle for the Mario Lemieux Foundation. After eight successful years of a four-day celebrity tournament that featured galleries of as many as 60,000 spectators, the 2006 event was closed to the public in an effort to maximize the level of corporate entertainment for our ongoing sponsors and supporters. The 2012 event will be held for the fifth consecutive year at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and remain a private event. If you are interested in participating, please send us an email as soon as possible, as golf groups are in high demand.

     Other fundraising events hosted by the Mario Lemieux Foundation include Nathalie Lemieux's Luncheon and Fundraiser held in May of each year and the Chicks with Sticks all-women's golf event that helps to fund maintenance costs for existing Austin's Playrooms.

In addition to the items below, there will be another 30 items that will be raffled off.  Please come to Canlan Saturday, April 14th and support our philanthropy:

Visit Website  |  Download File